CC By papalars

This is a test of inline CSS formatting. It may or may not work with your theme.

Sample Serif H3 Title

Sample Sans-Serif H3 Title

A monospace paragraph. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus tempor semper erat, ut bibendum nisl viverra id. Donec eu lobortis lacus. Quisque vitae condimentum nulla. Nullam suscipit facilisis euismod. Fusce risus lacus, semper eget vestibulum ac, vestibulum nec lorem. Curabitur eleifend sollicitudin arcu dictum cursus. In ut erat consequat purus viverra consequat vitae ut ante. Quisque euismod diam a lorem cursus non aliquam nisi consectetur. Maecenas facilisis felis ut velit elementum quis cursus lacus commodo. Maecenas non suscipit sapien. Duis sed turpis libero, in fringilla libero. Aliquam pellentesque faucibus libero, sit amet aliquam nibh eleifend a. Etiam interdum convallis accumsan. Vestibulum ante lacus, facilisis et rhoncus vel, pulvinar in eros. Integer in blandit purus. Aenean quis massa nunc.

A sans-serif paragraph set as bold type. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus tempor semper erat, ut bibendum nisl viverra id. Donec eu lobortis lacus. Quisque vitae condimentum nulla. Nullam suscipit facilisis euismod. Fusce risus lacus, semper eget vestibulum ac, vestibulum nec lorem. Curabitur eleifend sollicitudin arcu dictum cursus. In ut erat consequat purus viverra consequat vitae ut ante. Quisque euismod diam a lorem cursus non aliquam nisi consectetur. Maecenas facilisis felis ut velit elementum quis cursus lacus commodo. Maecenas non suscipit sapien. Duis sed turpis libero, in fringilla libero. Aliquam pellentesque faucibus libero, sit amet aliquam nibh eleifend a. Etiam interdum convallis accumsan. Vestibulum ante lacus, facilisis et rhoncus vel, pulvinar in eros. Integer in blandit purus. Aenean quis massa nunc.

A serif paragraph set as normal type. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus tempor semper erat, ut bibendum nisl viverra id. Donec eu lobortis lacus. Quisque vitae condimentum nulla. Nullam suscipit facilisis euismod. Fusce risus lacus, semper eget vestibulum ac, vestibulum nec lorem. Curabitur eleifend sollicitudin arcu dictum cursus. In ut erat consequat purus viverra consequat vitae ut ante. Quisque euismod diam a lorem cursus non aliquam nisi consectetur. Maecenas facilisis felis ut velit elementum quis cursus lacus commodo. Maecenas non suscipit sapien. Duis sed turpis libero, in fringilla libero. Aliquam pellentesque faucibus libero, sit amet aliquam nibh eleifend a. Etiam interdum convallis accumsan. Vestibulum ante lacus, facilisis et rhoncus vel, pulvinar in eros. Integer in blandit purus. Aenean quis massa nunc.

http://iversoninsurance.wordpress.com/

Aside from picking out a general them for the site, which I think looks pretty professional based on the variety of theme options offered through WordPress. I am still playing around with the picture/Gravatar option since at this point I am thinking that I am unable to use a seperate Gravatar image than the one I am using for my personal class blog.

I have written and posted my “About” page, but I am sure that as I continue to re-read it I will make minor edits and adjustments along the way. I am also in the process of working on the content for my other pages, but have not actually posted anything to the other pages at this point.

I am trying to consider what i am going to put on the “Home” page. I am thinking that I may post some photos related to insurance. For example maybe some pictures of homes/autos/motorcycles/boats, etc. I am not entirely sure what to post as far as written content though, possibly my contact information and maybe a general blurb about the insurance industry in general.

I think at this point I am well on my way to putting my project timeline to action. At this point I am still trying to figure out the little issues of how to put al my thoughts and ideas into place utilizing WordPress as my content management system.

1)      I am not entirely sure how to describe the theme of my WordPress blog site. There are a number of different type faces. Upon reviewing the main page I would say that there are about seven different typefaces. A number of different sizes are present, to highlight some in particular the title of the blog, the title of the posts and the actual writing within the posts all exhibit different sizes. The styles differ as well. For example, looking at my main page if you look at the letter “o” in “Peer Project Feedback”, and then look at the “o” in “Continue Reading”. The latter is more circular and the first has more of an oval shape. There are numerous examples that illustrate these different types of styles.

2)      Regarding the lecture at Kane Hall, I almost felt overwhelmed by all of the different typefaces and design aspects. Other than simply using what I feel looks appropriate in different situations I have never really put much more in depth thought into the actual design and creating.

I would imagine that there are a number of different issues when dealing with typeface on a computer rather than paper. The actual formation of different typefaces on a computer seems quite complex. I would imagine that it is quite a task to translate these hand designs into technological forrm. Once they are translated to computer form though we can use them without much thought and in the blink of an eye.

I use a Cricut for scrapbooking and I have a dozen different type face cartridges for my lettering to have different looks. I would imagine that the process of designing those were quite similar to actually putting the type faces in technological form.

3)      A font is a quantity or set, such as the alphabet of letter that share characteristics and size. Typeface on the other hand is the actual design. Typefaces are constantly coming into development as the number of typeface’s for design are potentially limitless. The two are probably commonly confused because the font is often referred to as the actual name of the typeface rather than the actual set it is.

4)      As far as a professional image I have decided on a typeface named “Frutiger STD”

http://www.fontshop.com/fonts/downloads/linotype/frutiger_std/

For a personal image I think that “Museo Slab Family OT” would express me well personally.

http://www.fontshop.com/fonts/downloads/exljbris/museo_slab_family_ot/

I think that they are both alike in the way that they are fairly simple and straightforward. I have never been a huge fan of free flowing typefaces, such as cursive ones, that are not necessarily as easy on the eyes of the reader. The two are a bit different though because the Frutiger is very concise. The lines are sharp and it is a basic form, easy to read and probably appeals to almost everyone. The Museo on the other hand is a little bit more free flowing. If you look at the lines they contain more curvature and accents. They have more of an elegant appearance, compared to the sharp straight lines of the Frutiger.

I think that I am well on my way to getting things done. The biggest obstacle that I continue to face are little layout issues.  I have lots of ideas in my head for how I want things to look, but I am unable to keep up with them all as I am still trying to figure out al of the ins and outs of using word press. I think that if nothing else I realized that i am not the only person running into these minor, but challenging obstacles along the way. It is nice that we are able to discuss our findings and give feedback to one another, as it is definitely becoming a huge help when learning all about these new technological tools.

The project postings that I viewed and gave feedback to today are listed below. Like myself, at this point I think everyone is still in the process of fine tuning ideas and thoughts for putting all of the information that will be included together. Once the larger plan is fiigured out everything else should fit into place fairly smmothly…I am hoping.

http://glenndoom.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/final-project-thesis-description/#comment-44

http://kimberlynoble.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/introducing-miss-picky/#comment-20

http://gmkeller.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/project-update-figuring-everything-out/#comment-16

In addition to setting up the external site and making adjustments to the actual blog settings I have also picked out a theme for my blog, and have created the title for each of the five pages on the site related to insurance. I have written the ‘about’ page as well, but am in the process of making the final edits before officially posting it to the about page of my blog for others to read.

I was also playing around with the widgets while setting up my second blog, but became stuck when I wanted to add a gravatar image to the side bar. I am trying to have a different gravatar image for my insurance blog than my class blog, but whenever I change the Gravatar it changes the picture on the sidebar on both of my blogs. I am not entirely sure if there is a way around this, but I would imagine that you would be able to have two different pictures on each blog. I will continue to play around with it to see what can be done.

At this point I think that I am well on my way to setting everything up.

Search engines such as Google must sort information based on the users search as being “relevant”, but with most users only actually viewing the first small handful of pages at the top it seems impossible to squeeze everything that is “relevant” in. it almost seems that one would need to carefully select their search terms to truly find the best match. In the future user may have to work just as hard as the search engine itself, with so much information to weed out.

The idea that Google, and the internet in general, is making us stupid because we are turning into browsers rather than in depth readers does not quite seem to add up to me. Books are intended to be read in depth, but is the internet really meant to be used in the same way? Much of the stuff that I pass through on the internet on a daily basis is not necessarily stuff I would want to waste my time reading in depth, but rather information that is meant to be browsed. Both books and the internet are important in our education growth, but without the internet and the ability to browse so much of the available information out there would be lost for the human brain to absorb, share and communicate.

Personally I think that Google has done a pretty successful job of operating in the real world so far, which is precisely why people are putting the search engine and company under attack. Although they do track information, users willingly continue to use the search engine knowing this. I do not specifically know the numbers, but in my opinion I do not think that the publics’ distrust of Google is growing. If nothing else I think that the public’s use of Goggle is constantly growing.

I cannot think of almost a day where I have not made use of Google. I constantly use the search engine for both business and personal use. Often times I may even have an exact web address, but continue to use Google to see what else might pop up. It is the first place that I turn to when looking for any piece of information no matter what it is related to.

Overall, just like the ever growing number of internet users still trying to figure out how copyright and fair use laws fit into their daily internet use I truly believe that Google is doing the same. With the invention and advancement of internet technologies many people assume that everything is automatically put on a plate for the user, when in reality there is a whole new world of exploration, trial and error that follows hand in hand, with copyright included. The only difference is that Google, because it is such a large company and search engine, and considered a monopoly by some, must be that much more careful as all eyes are on them to make some sort of error within the new technological world.

Ultimately, I am sure that Google would like to have control of over the search market-what company wouldn’t? Obviously they are going to do anything in their power and realm of abilities to grow their business and expand their market, but that does not mean that it will not come at a cost. The company seems to have an uphill battle ahead.

I was rather pleased to find that within all three of my presentation groups my audience was very active in the discussion. I initially prepared a presentation that was approximately twelve minutes in length, but because of our in depth group conversations I actually ended up cutting portions out and sort of winging it as I went along.

It is truly amazing how much information each individual in the group has to add to the discussion when discussing social media sites, such as Twitter. Personal experience through use and observation seems to be the largest wealth of knowledge and resource for learning the ins and outs of Twitter and other social networking sites.

If nothing else this weeks opportunity as a discussion leader has definitely led me to learn a lot about something I would have never otherwise explored. Through creating my own Twitter account I now feel as though I am a functioning member of the tweeting world. I can follow twitter feeds with ease, and hopefully sometime soon i will figure out exactly what i want to post to my own Twitter feed!

I will be creating an insurance blog/website with the goal and purpose of informing the general public on need to know information about carrying and purchasing  insurance. The general aim will be to include information on product offerings, descriptions of coverage’s, as well as tips and tricks of what to look out for.

My pages will include the following:

Page 1-This page will be my “about” page and will include information about myself, background, education, work experience and how I became involved in the insurance industry and what I plan to do in the insurance industry in the future.

Page2- This page will basically be a general about page for insurance policy types. It will include brief descriptions on what policy types cover what. For example, property and casualty policy types such as homeowner’s, auto, personal umbrella, boatowner’s, motorcycle and recreational vehicle policy types will be discussed. Some basic life and disability policy types will be discussed as well, such as term and whole life insurance.

Page 3- This page will basically be a insurance for dummies page detailing what certain coverage types are for, what they protect you against, as well as real life examples. To give a basic outline the page will include concepts in lamen’s terms, such as ‘collision’, ‘comprehensive’, ‘personal injury protection’, ‘liability’ and many more.

Page 4-This will be a page dedicated to discounts that customers should inquire about when speaking to their insurance agent, no matter which company they are insured through. These are general discount offerings that the average customer usually does not think to ask about.

Page 5-This page will be an advice section for tips and tricks when dealing with insurance. Examples of some tips and tricks include learning to read the policy language for an insurance policy, adding extra coverage’s that may not necessarily be included, and advice for dealing with the claims process.

Basically now that we are quickly approaching week 7 my project timeline is to work on the blog/website on a page by page basis. I hope to create the account and the “about” page within the next week and work on the name, layout and formatting. After that I should be able to work on a page by page basis weekly, making minor adjustments to the layout as I see fit.

As far as seeing the project as a success, I probably will not be happy until the last moment when I am done playing around and tweaking everything. The look of the site, layout and formatting is really high on my priority list of importance. I hope to include valuable information and content as well, but realize that the content is something that will be constantly changing. Overall, the look and the feel of the site is my number one goal. I am aiming to maintain a professional look, while still showing some of my own personality, since I will be detailing insurance from my own knowledge and experiences.

Up until the past few weeks I had never had a twitter account, nor had I ever followed anyone else’s ‘tweets’. Because of my need to become more familiar with Twitter I had decided to create my own account, browse through a number of tweets and regularly follow one stream in particular. Through my own experimentation and observations I quickly learned that the largest volume of tweets and followers are those related to business. Whether it is related to the entertainment industry, politics, or businesses in general people want to be in the know.

Starbucks in particular has taken a unique approach to marketing by using social networking sites as an alternative to million dollar commercial advertisement campaigns.  This effort has been aimed at expanding their business model and truly making an effort to become involved within the community around them.

This model has led many other businesses to follow the lead by asking themselves the crucial question of whether or not there marketing strategies are where they should be in order to lead a successful business.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/technology/personaltech/12pogue.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11465829

The first example that I decided to examine was a prior insurance website for an insurance company that I was involved with. I think that this is a great example of design since everything is very organized and easy to navigate.  There are a number of different sections to visit that outline the agency, staff and products offered. 

I especially find it helpful that they were able to create links for customers to submit contact information for an insurance quote.  From each section of different products offered customers and prospects are also able to request an insurance quote specifically from the website for the product that they are reading about.

The only thing that I would like to see on my site that is not offered on this site is a more in depth description of the coverage’s for each type of product, and descriptions of those coverage’s in lamens terms using real life examples.  These descriptions scratch the surface, but in my experience often times customers want real life examples to justify why they should carry a particular coverage, or even the policy itself.

Link: http://www.eastsideagencyinc.com/business_insurance.htm

The second example site that I visited contained a lot more information than the first. I almost felt a little overwhelmed by the layout of information. Everything was organized into categories, but it was hard to know where to start since so much was packed onto each page. Aside from that each page had multiple links in order to access additional information. Although there was definitely a lot of information to absorb, I am going to strive to keep my design and information more precise.

I really appreciated the fact that in depth information was included for both the individuals employed by the company, their backgrounds and achievements as well as the products and offered by the agency. The home page included articles written by individuals illustrating worldwide examples as to why certain coverage’s and policies are necessary.

Link: https://www.gninternationalpropertyinsurance.com/insurance-quotes/corporate-kidnap-ransom

The third site that I visited was different from the first two in a somewhat unique way. The homepage seemed to be an ongoing dialogue of the main agent making posts discussing insurance topics. It is rather interesting to read because it is almost as if the writer is discussing his thoughts and feelings of the insurance industry. Often times these sites simply include facts rather than opinions which the public can relate to and comment on. Many of these postings also include pictures or videos of natural disasters and other insurance related concepts to illustrate them.

I like this site because it includes a Q and A section where common insurance related questions are answered. Under each category such as property and casualty, business, or health the subcategories are listed. At first it seemed confusing, but after looking through the site multiple times the layout all began to make sense.

Overall, the only change that I would like to see on all three of these sites including my own is a section for actual customers to make comments and postings on how insurance has helped them in a time of need. Whether is it life insurance, home, or auto it is nice for people to be able to share those stories. Also allowing customers to openly ask questions through posts would be an idea to entertain as well. Often times the question of one person may be a questions for many others as well. A page like this though would have to be something that is developed over time.

Link: http://www.bankersinsurance.com/buying_insurance.html